Question Period Note: CERB Integrity

The Auditor General has stated that the Government should have ways to identify fraud and recoup money for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and employment-insurance (EI) benefits during the pandemic.

• Service Canada takes the integrity of its programs very seriously.

• We know that in time of crisis, the risk of fraud is heightened and we continue to conduct investigations to identify and address cases of error and fraud.

• Service Canada uses data analytics and intelligence capabilities to actively monitor and identify cases of error and fraud.

• In addition, the Department has been working closely with key partners, including other government departments and law enforcement agencies, to detect and disrupt cases of possible fraud.

• In cases where claimants are found to be ineligible to receive the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, they will be required to reimburse the overpayment.

• The Government’s Fall Economic Statement announced $260 million over four years for ESDC and the CRA to increase the capacity to detect, investigate and address cases of misrepresentation or fraud related to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

• This investment will ensure the proper stewardship of the program.

In order to deal with the high volumes of applications and get money to eligible Canadians as quickly as possible during the pandemic, a number of temporary measures were implemented to simplify policy and processes while maintaining the integrity of the EI program through largely post-payment verification. Simplification measures included moving to a flat rate, and the use of attestations over the requirement for documentation.

Post-payment verification reviews will help us develop accurate estimates of fraud.

The Government’s Fall Economic Statement announced $260.4 million over four years for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to increase the capacity to detect, investigate and address cases of fraud or misrepresentation related to the Canada Emergency Response.
From this, $114.3 million is to ensure that ESDC continues to have the capacity to effectively detect, investigate and address high-risk cases of abuse, misrepresentation and fraud in the Employment Insurance Emergency Response Benefit (EI ERB); and $146.1 million for the CRA to ensure it has continued capacity to advance compliance, verification and collections activities with respect to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

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